Hail Mary (1985)
"'Je vous salue, Marie'" (original title)

In this modern retelling of the Virgin birth, Mary is a student who plays basketball and works at her father's petrol station; Joseph is an earnest dropout who drives a cab. The angel ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard

Stars:

Myriem Roussel, Thierry Rode, Philippe Lacoste

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Myriem Roussel	...	Marie
Thierry Rode	...	Joseph
Philippe Lacoste	...	L'ange Gabriel
Manon Andersen	...	La petite fille
Malachi Jara Kohan	...	Jésus
Juliette Binoche	...	Juliette
Dick	...	Le chien
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges Staquet

Storyline

In this modern retelling of the Virgin birth, Mary is a student who plays basketball and works at her father's petrol station; Joseph is an earnest dropout who drives a cab. The angel Gabriel must school Joseph to accept Mary's pregnancy, while Mary comes to terms with God's plan through meditations that are sometimes angry and usually punctuated by elemental images of the sun, moon, clouds, flowers, and water. Godard intercuts a brief parallel story of Eva and her nameless lover; their adulterous affair, rife with philosophical discussions, leads nowhere.

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Plot Keywords:

basketball | pregnancy | gas station | virgin | childbirth | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Switzerland UK

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hail Mary

Filming Locations:

Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sara Films, Pégase Films, JLG Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[last lines]
Marie: I am of the Virgin, and I didn't want this being. I only left my imprint on the soul that helped me... you!

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Connections

Referenced in Petites notes à propos du film 'Je vous salue, Marie' (1983)

User Reviews

Polemic and Boring Mess

The student Marie (Myriem Roussel), who plays basketball and works in the gas station of her father, gets pregnant without having intercourse. The taxi driver Joseph (Thierry Rode) becomes upset and the newcomer in town Gabriel (Philippe Lacoste) convinces Joseph to accept her pregnancy. Meanwhile the college student Eva (Anne Gautier) has an affair with her professor.

In the 80's, the exhibition of the polemic "Je Vous Salue, Marie" was forbidden in Brazil due to pressure of the Catholic Church in the government. I believe this unexpected marketing is the greatest attraction of this boring movie. The screenplay is a complete mess and the soundtrack and the nudities of Myriem Roussel and Anne Gautier are the best offered in this pretentious philosophic crap. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Je Vous Salue, Marie"